


Turnabout Is Fair Play (Except in Cases of Dark Magic and Fae)

by hardcoredrarryshipper



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Cinderella Elements, Demon Deals, Fae Magic, M/M, Non DnD Rules For Magic, One Shot, Secret Identity, Taako's in a big blue ball gown for literally all of the fic, this is the longest fic ive ever written, well the longest fic ive ever POSTED
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:01:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,159
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23604205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hardcoredrarryshipper/pseuds/hardcoredrarryshipper
Summary: “Enjoying yourself?”Taako looked back at the stranger, huffing a laugh around his fantasy cigarette. He maneuvered it carefully so as not to get ash on his silk gloves or blue ball gown. Or rather, Lup’s gloves and ball gown.Then again,he mused,same thing tonight.“Fuck no.”***************************A Royalty!AU where when Taako and Kravitz meet at a ball, they're both pretending to be someone they're not, but one of them comes clean a lot faster. (Very loosely a Cinderella!AU.)
Relationships: Kravitz/Taako (The Adventure Zone)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 79





	Turnabout Is Fair Play (Except in Cases of Dark Magic and Fae)

**Author's Note:**

> Alternative title: In which Taako pretends to be Lup but has some serious Taako luck

“Enjoying yourself?”

Taako looked back at the stranger, huffing a laugh around his fantasy cigarette. He maneuvered it carefully so as not to get ash on his silk gloves or blue ball gown. Or rather, Lup’s gloves and ball gown. _Then again,_ he mused, _same thing tonight. ___

__“Fuck no.” Taako studied him carefully. If he spared himself the rare occasion of being honest with himself, he was breathtaking, right out of a faetale. His black suit was cut in all the right ways, though Taako noticed a thin, white scar peeking out of his collar. Half of his meticulous braids, each wrapped with a golden band, were tied on the top of his head, the other half fell past his shoulders and down his back. His large, dark hands tapped his own fantasy cigarette against the railing of the balcony Taako was precariously perched on. Thankfully, the stranger seemed to have enough sense to avoid the mounds of blue tulle surrounding Taako’s legs._ _

__Maybe it was Taako’s hatred of the stupid accent he couldn’t place, which so far seemed to be the only bad thing about this man, but something about his silence felt inviting instead of cold. “I’m just here so no one can say that my sister wasn’t at this thing.” Taako found himself spilling out more and more. Lup being gone was already starting to take a toll on him. “Princess Chaalupa is uh, well I’m her twin brother-“_ _

__“Brother?” The stranger repeated. Taako glared at him._ _

__“Yeah, brother, you got a problem?”_ _

__“No, I just... don’t see a lot of guys like you around here.” He eyed him over, but there was a hint of appraisal that made Taako feel a foreign bashfulness._ _

__“Yeah well, we don’t come around too often. My sister decided that she wanted to spend it here with the prince or whatever-”_ _

__“Prince Barold?”_ _

__“You know, my man, you sure do have a nasty habit of repeating things I’ve just said.” Taako smirked. To his surprise, the man let out a bark of laughter. Taako found himself wondering how someone so handsome could become that much more gorgeous in mere seconds. “Anyways, yeah, she’s off with Barold.” He waved his unoccupied hand dismissively, his golden bracelets clinking delicately. He leaned in slightly. “That’s why you haven’t seen him all night.” He grinned, pleased with his piece of gossip. The man smirked at him too condescendingly to be appreciating how juicy this secret was. “What? Have you seen him? If I haven’t even seen him as Princess Chaalupa, I’m sure you haven’t.” He looked the man over again. “No offense, I just meant as another prince. Not to brag, but I’m usually right there with the other royalty.”_ _

__“Yeah, you would think so.” The man cocked his head at him, leaning a hip against the balcony. “So then why are you out here instead of in there?”_ _

__“Yeah, well, just because I should have seen ‘em doesn’t mean I want to have.” Taako scoffed. The man laughed again. Taako made a mental note to stop being so affected by it._ _

__“Royalty are for the most part, total fucking douchebags.” He brandished his cigarette at the man. “Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise. It’s a scam.”_ _

__“And you?”_ _

__“Honey, I stole a cigarette from you and now I’m just ranting about my privileged life. I’m at the top of the douchebag list.” He dipped his head with a flourish of his hand in a faux bow. The man chuckled and stared up at the full moon as he took a drag. It was the fourth full moon of that year, the one that marked the annual ball. People from all over the continent had come to the head kingdom, Phandalin, to promote the alliances between the kingdoms and of course, show off their children. Aristocratic families from Phandolin and nearby kingdoms were invited as well, and of course there were always the commoners who snuck in. Taako couldn’t tell where this man fit in, but he liked to think he kept an eye on the royals. He must have been an aristocrat, since he was in formal attire. “I’m Prince Taako Taaco, from New Elfington.” He put his hand out for the man to kiss._ _

__“My friends call me Rafael.” He shook Taako’s hand. Taako’s practiced smile fell. This dude won’t even tell me where he’s from? He tapped his crystalline heel against the balcony. He urged himself to leave, to find another dark corner of the castle and do nothing until the ball was over and his carriage came, but something kept his heel tapping._ _

__“Do you wanna go to the gardens?” Taako asked before he could stop himself. “I hear they’re beautiful, just for this event. Plus, most people are usually too busy inside to even notice. Nobody has any appreciation for art anymore.”_ _

__“The gardens sound lovely.” He smiled, grinding his fantasy cigarette butt into the balcony. Taako dropped the fantasy cigarette butt into the trees below him and then slid around the railing to stand back up on the balcony. He scowled upon seeing that Rafael was taller than him. He’d specifically worn these uncomfortable, slightly tacky heels for the purpose of gliding majestically over everybody else. Rafael seemed to also be thinking about his shoes, but for a different reason._ _

__“You’re going to the garden in those?” Rafael asked, and if he hadn’t sounded so genuinely worried, and if the heels weren’t so tall, Taako would have stormed away right then and there._ _

__“Uh, yeah? What else would I do with them?”_ _

__“Take them off. You’ll break an ankle sinking into the grass.”_ _

__“I can only hope.” Taako crossed his fingers for show. Rafael’s worried expression did not budge. “Look, I can’t even reach them with all this dress-”_ _

__“Then let me get them for you.” Before Taako could laugh at the idea, Rafael was bent on one knee looking up at him expectantly. He suddenly felt a lot more inclined to say yes to whatever he was asking._ _

__“Fine.” He huffed, refusing to look Rafael in the eye as he pulled his skirts up and presented his right foot. Rafael slipped the shoe right off and Taako shifted so he could get the other one. “What do I do with them now? Lug them around like an idiot?”_ _

__“I can hold them for you, if you’d like.”_ _

__“Oh God, you’re not one of those dudes, are you?” Taako grimaced._ _

__“I… don’t know what sort of dude you’re talking about,” Rafael said wearily. He waved his hand, and a rift in the space next to her opened up, a black hole no bigger than a shoebox. It was very dark and he couldn’t see anything inside. “But I can store them in my pocket dimension until later.”_ _

__“How do I know your pocket dimension isn’t just going to eat my shoes?” Taako scoffed. Rafael seemed to genuinely consider the question before bending down again and removing his own shoes, leaving only maroon socks. He threw them into the pocket dimension._ _

__“Well, because that means it would have just eaten my shoes too.” He replied, with all the seriousness in the world. Taako blinked at him._ _

__“Good enough for me.” He shrugged and threw his shoes in. The rift closed up. “That’s kinda bitchin’.” Rafael laughed and spun on his heel._ _

__“Come on, now we have to go or we put our shoes up for nothing.” He outstretched a hand and Taako took it, trying not to smile too widely. They made their way down the stairs as quickly as they could get Taako down in his dress. They stifled laughter the whole time from the new sensation of the palace under bare feet. Taako knew the way to the gardens already, having wasted many balls away with Lup there, but signs directed them anyway. The way there got less and less crowded as they continued on.  
Stepping into the gardens was always like being in a whole different world. Magic flora and gentle fauna practically shivered with life around them. Big indigo flowers that bloomed in the moonlight spread their petals, becoming almost silvery in the dim night. Pink peonies decorated green bushes like a youthful blush, giving off a pleasant perfume as they walked past. Tiny purple buds stemmed from vines on the trees like a string of candlelight lights. Taako had been worried at first about the idea of being in a garden barefoot, but the feeling of the lush, green grass right against his skin was glorious. He reached out to a multi-hued line flower before pausing. He removed his silk gloves and looked back over at Rafael. _ _

__“Any chance that pocket dimension of yours can hold something else for me?” Taako gave Raf his biggest, cheesiest smile._ _

__“For you, m’lady, anything.” Rafael winked. Taako smacked him lightly on the arm with the gloves, though he was grinning genuinely now. Rafael took them and delicately folded them before tucking them away. “Safe and sound.”_ _

__“Thank you, squire.” He reached back to the flower from before. The petals were so smooth they were almost soft. They held a sweet, honeysuckle aroma. Nearby, Rafael was leaning over a bunch of blue flowers. He plucked them and brought them over to Taako._ _

__“Here, they match your dress.” Rafael said quietly, holding the bunch out to him. Taako had surely seen dozens of these flowers before, but these seemed stunning. He swallowed hard and took them from her._ _

__“I- thank you.” He could do nothing but take them in for a moment. “Could you maybe… help me put them in my hair?”_ _

__“Of course.” Rafael said softly. Taako pulled a pin from his bun, sure that there was enough hair spray to keep the updo together without this pin. He handed it to Rafael and stood leaned his head to the left. “Let me know if I’m hurting you.” He murmured. Taako nodded, though his heavy heartbeat prevented him from knowing exactly what he’d agreed to. Rafael slid the stem of the flowers into the right side of his hair, just above his ear. Taako tried not to squirm from the almost-touches to a rather sensitive part of his body. After that, he slid the pin in slowly, gently, over the stem and into the hair. He grazed his ear as he did so, which was now warm and pink at the tips. At the first touch, his eyes fluttered closed. When Raphael was finally done, he pulled away and studied his face. “Beautiful.” He said softly. Taako swallowed hard and brushed a lock of hair behind his other ear._ _

__“Thank you.” He cleared his throat and glanced around. The heady atmosphere was making him pleasantly uncomfortable, but still uncomfortable. He searched for something to fill the silence with, but Rafael beat him to it._ _

__“Will you do something kind of crazy with me?” Taako felt the urge to ask what he called two idiots standing around shoeless in ball gown attire in the middle of a garden, but his callousness seemed more at bay than usual._ _

__“How crazy?”_ _

__“Enough that I know I’m going to regret showing you in the first place.” Taako’s eyes lit up. He had a saying. Never do something you might regret, but always be there for something someone else might._ _

__“You’ve piqued my interest.”_ _

__“Come on.” Rafael took his hand and they were hurrying away again. Rafael seemed to go extra quickly around other people on the grounds, leaving Taako to apologize the best he could when they bumped into others. Because of this, Taako was extra confused when Rafael stopped at brick castle wall towards the back left with satisfaction._ _

__“Now I regret you showing me this.”_ _

__“Not this, no.” Rafael was stroking the wall as if feeling for something. Taako considered for a moment if he should be jealous. Just when he’d built up enough impatience to say something again, he heard a loud scraping noise come from the wall._ _

__“Aha!” He pushed it in as far as it would go, and before Taako knew it, the bricks were folding in to reveal a set of unlit stairs leading down. He stared for a minute._ _

__“You’ve gotta be fucking with me.”_ _

__“They’re service tunnels. They’re supposed to connect throughout the entire castle. I’ve only been down once before because they’re kind of out of commission.”_ _

__“Uh-huh, and so you brought me here to assassinate me?”_ _

__“I figured we could go through some and figure out where we end up.” The smile Rafael gave him was so angelic he forgot for a moment that he was trying to lead him into a murder basement. He considered the idea that he would die. He then considered the idea that if he died, he would die drop dead gorgeous._ _

__“Alright, why not?” Taako sighed. “I’m only doing this because my sister’s around here somewhere doing Barold and if I die here I can haunt his dick. You’re going first.”_ _

__“Sure.” Rafael walked down the steps. Taako peered in when he disappeared into the depths. Even with his Darkvision, Rafael was nowhere to be seen. He wondered if Rafael died like this, if it would be considered manslaughter._ _

__“Taako, darling, you coming?” He called from the bottom and Taako stopped preparing things he would say in trial._ _

__“I’ll be right there.” He stepped down cautiously. They hadn’t gotten more than ten feet in when the staircase began to fold itself up. He ran back and felt frantically for another button, but found nothing. “Oh my God, Lup was right, I’m the stupidest bitch alive and I’m gonna get murdered because I was too gay.” He hissed to himself._ _

__“Taako? Come look at this. We’re not trapped, don’t worry about it.” Rafael called from where he was inspecting what looked like a map engraved on the wall. He kept his spells in mind just in case. “That looks like a main hallway- and that’s maybe the kitchens?”_ _

__“So we can get out of here?”_ _

__“What, not up for a little adventuring?”_ _

__“No, not if this adventure is being trapped in ominous spooky catacombs with strangers!”_ _

__“Yeah, you know what? You’re right. I get it, this was a stupid idea.” He sighed. “Come on, let’s find a way out.” For some reason, the agreement disappointed him. Taako scowled._ _

__“Fine. We'll go check out a couple of doors. I’m sure we can just leave through them if I wanna anyways.” He grumbled._ _

__“Of course!” Rafael immediately brightened. “But I’m sure this will be great, there are people everywhere who won’t expect us at all if we do pop through one.” The idea of scaring those old fart ambassadors cheered Taako up a little bit. Rafael extended his hand and when Taako took it, they laced their fingers together. Rafael’s hands were surprisingly cool, but big and just rough enough that Taako could say with certainty that his hands were softer, but not so rough it was unpleasant. In other words, perfect.  
Taako pictured with great detail how horrible and disgusting it was that he was walking down these dingy tunnels with no shoes, but so far it had been a pleasant experience. The stone underfoot was smooth and not very cold. More importantly, the idea of walking down the catacomb like structures in his beautiful, tulle laden ball gown was such a vibe he almost couldn’t wrap his head around how cool it was. The tunnels were completely silent inside when the two of them weren’t talking, but the hubbub and footsteps from the upstairs party filled the space anyway. If they’d paused, Taako might have been able to decipher conversations, but they pressed forward. Very quickly they came to a large metal door._ _

__“Alright, let’s see what’s behind door number one, then.” Rafael pulled the handle down and a blast of cold air hit them as he opened it. Meat hung from the ceiling, along with bags of ice and other assorted ingredients._ _

__“It’s a fucking meat locker- That’s why I’m over here freezing my ass off!”_ _

__“Oh, I’m sorry about that.” Rafael slipped off his jacket quickly. “Here, you can use this. I don’t get very cold.” Taako was having a really, really hard time acknowledging the crazy shit he was doing over a handsome man when the man kept being so nice. He slipped it on and stewed in his anger, warmed inside and out. “Next one then, shall we?” They continued down the halls, taking turns this way and that. Taako was surprised to find he was much less scared than he thought he should have been. He could have chalked it up to the constant noise of the ball going around upstairs, but his excitement was infectious, if odd, and he still hadn’t let go off his hand. They eventually came to another door, but it was locked. They couldn’t hear any conversation behind it anyways, or see any light, so they figured it best to leave it. They’d only been walking for a little while after that when Taako grabbed Rafael’s wrist._ _

__“Do you see that?” Taako squinted at an approaching light rounding the corner far down the hall. “What is that?”_ _

__“Looks like a flashlight- Maybe we can get some help. Hello?” Rafael called out. Taako shushed him frantically, but it was too late._ _

__“Who goes there?” A gruff, male voice that came from the direction of the light boomed. It was approaching much more rapidly now._ _

__“Shit.” Taako whispered. He dragged Rafael into an alcove he spotted just a little while ago. It was a tight squeeze with his dress, but they just managed to fit into it chest to chest. The cause of his rising pulse was difficult to completely distinguish. They held their breaths as they listened to the footsteps. “You’re not supposed to be here! Just let me show you out!” His voice echoed loudly off the stone walls. Taako squeezed Rafael’s hand tightly. After a moment, they couldn’t hear his footsteps anymore._ _

__“Is he gone?” Taako whispered. Rafael moved his head slowly towards the opening and began to peek over it. Almost no sooner than he’d gotten both eyes out did a bright light practically blind them._ _

__“Hey! What are you- Raf? Is that you?”_ _

__“...Magnus? Is that you?”_ _

__“It is!” The man, Magnus, Taako presumed, exclaimed. His tone was much, much less gruff now as Rafael squeezed out. “What are you doing down here? You know you’re not supposed to be in the tunnels.” He mock-scolded. Taako began to move to look himself._ _

__“What can I say, I’m never up to any good.” Rafael joked._ _

__“That sounds about right- hey, are you with someone?” Magnus asked, shining the light back at the alcove. Taako tried to duck back in, but knew it was no use._ _

__“Oh yes, how rude of me!” Rafael said. Taako opened his mouth to interrupt him, fully expecting him to blow his cover, but as he stepped out he stumbled as his dress caught on the walls squeezing his dress. “I just met her tonight, this is my friend Princess Chaalupa.” Taako directed his relieved smile at Magnus. “Princess Chaalupa, Magnus Burnsides.” Taako gave the best curtsy he could._ _

__“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Taako said. Magnus, a tall, beefy man with copious amounts of all sorts of hair gave him a warm smile and bowed back. He was wearing the uniform all castle workers wore for the ball- a dark red vest with the Phandalin crest over the left breast, a white long sleeve under it, and black pants._ _

__“It’s a pleasure to meet you too.” He turned back to Rafael and winked. “Stay out of trouble, alright? Try not to make my job too hard.”_ _

__“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Rafael sent a charming smile back, and if Taako hadn’t gotten the immediate feeling that Magnus was just that friendly with everyone, he would have had a bit more to say to him_ _

__“Alright, I’ll see you around. Nice to meet you, Princess Chaalupa.” He bowed once more and walked past them, whistling a tune._ _

__“Jesus fuck that was close!” Taako let out a breath he’d been holding since he saw that light. “How do you even know that dude?”_ _

__“Eh, I’ve just crossed paths with him a couple of times.” Rafael shrugged. “Let’s keep going, we’re bound to find something entertaining soon.” Taako couldn’t help but begin to doubt it, but no sooner than the thought crossed his mind did he almost stop in his tracks. “It’s pretty quiet over here, it might be-“_ _

__“Shh!” Taako cut him off, holding a finger to his own lips. His ears pointed towards the familiar sound. “Listen.” He turned a corner and there was a small hatch in the side of the wall. Through it, a conversation was barely audible, but Taako knew Lup’s voice better than his own. “It’s my sister! Holy shit- There’s a dude talking to her- must be that prince.” He laughed victoriously and began to hurry towards it. “I can’t believe I actually found them!” He cast a silencing spell over the two of them before popping the hatch and opening it just enough to see in. Thankfully, the opening seemed to be covered by clothes and shoes, but he could still hear loads better with it opened. Rafael looked wary, but he was silenced and wouldn’t be able to stop Taako short of tackling him. He shifted some clothes around and leaned a bit more into the open hatch. He got closer just in time to hear his sister ask something._ _

__“Who’s this?”_ _

__“Oh… um, that’s my brother, Kravitz.” A voice he recognized as Prince Barold said. “He’s around the ball somewhere.”_ _

__“You two do not look similar.” She laughed. “What is it with humans and all looking way different? And more importantly, why have I never met him?”_ _

__“Well, he’s been out of the kingdom for a while running diplomatic missions for it. He just came home a couple of weeks ago. He’s been in and out since we were fairly young.”_ _

__“Oh? Why don’t you go on these missions? Are you just too aggressive for them?” Lup teased. “Keep scaring fellow ambassadors? Bad boy!” Taako turned to make a gagging face at Kravitz, but he seemed deeply interested in the conversation._ _

__“No, uh... well, I’m only telling you this because I really, really trust you. Honestly, Lup, this is very private information.”_ _

__“I won’t say a word.” Lup promised. Taako almost snorted. Lup never kept that promise to anyone but him._ _

__“When our mothers got married, they both had kids already, Kravitz and me. We all love each other to death, but since the bloodline runs through my biological mother’s side, he’s… technically, by law, not apart of the royal family.”_ _

__“So they sent him away because some bullshit paper said he's not a part of your family? Your mothers couldn’t have changed that? And in the meantime, he’s just kicked out on these missions?”_ _

__“Lup, I don’t like the situation either, none of us do. Our moms looked into it, but that alone was enough to get people to speculate. They’re afraid that if they figure out there’s only one heir, and because our moms aren’t gonna have another kid any time soon...”_ _

__“Oh. I see.”_ _

__“Yeah… but it’s not like that’s the only reason anyways… When he was a lot younger, he wandered into the woods by the castle on his own. He used to do it a lot, we all thought it was safe enough, but I guess he went in one too many times. He ran into this fae- well definitely a fae, but more technically a demon. He was young, and he didn’t know any better... She told him she’d make him very powerful, on the condition that if he became the king of Phandalin, he made her his queen. He wasn’t stupid, he knew he’d never be king and he had no right to the throne, so he agreed that if he became king she would be his queen. They struck the deal, but boy, was she mad when he learned he wasn’t technically royalty… Fae have their weaknesses, but we could only keep her out of the castle for so long. We didn’t find a way to banish her before it was unsafe to keep him here, so they started sending him on the missions. And at the end of the day, that fae might not have been able to go back on her deal, but he’s still full of dark magic. Our parents just thought it was too risky for a lot of reasons for him to be here in Phandalin.” There was silence from all four of them for a beat. “So, yeah, his existence isn’t a secret, and the citizens know that he’s working for the kingdom still, but they haven’t seen him in a long, long time. A lot of people are actually here tonight in hopes of seeing him.”_ _

__“Holy fuck.” Lup breathed finally, breaking the silence of all four of them. “Can I meet this dude at some point? He sounds fucking awesome.” Barry laughed._ _

__“He’ll be running around here somewhere. He’s not a huge fan of crowds, but I’m sure he’s made some friends by now. Anyways, I didn’t mean to ruin the mood with my weird family history.”_ _

__“Nah, it’s alright, you’re not the only one with some weird family.” Lup said. There was some quiet conversation and then laughter, and Taako finally remembered where he was. He backed out of the crawl space and she followed, shutting the passageway behind them. He waved away the silencing spell._ _

__“Fuck.” Taako stated. Rafael chuckled a bit but it faded quickly. He rubbed the back of his neck almost anxiously. “I guess it must be weird learning that about your prince, huh?” Rafael was already looking down the hallway._ _

__“C’mon, let’s actually get out of here. I think I know where we are now, so at least we won’t pop out in total confusion.” He trudged on and Taako followed quickly behind, though his mind was still thinking about the Prince. He wondered if he’d ever seen him before. He figured probably not, if even Lup hadn’t. They found a fourth door, and there was quiet behind this one too. Rafael tried the knob and when it opened, they both peered inside._ _

__Behind the door was a large, communal bathroom, likely for staff. It was completely dark deserted at the moment, but perfect for stepping out of hidden passages. When Taako shut the door behind them, it appeared to be a completely normal door he might have believed to hold a storage closet, or even act as a cupboard. As he rattled the door to see if it was now locked, Rafael gasped._ _

__“Goodness Taako, your dress!”_ _

__“Huh?” Taako looked in the mirror and immediately groaned. His pale blue dress was smudged with dirt and grime, his bun was coming loose and there was even soot in his face. “Holy fucking shit! Do you see the state of my dress? There is no way I can leave looking like this! Everyone important is out there!” He practically shrieked._ _

__“Hey, it’s alright, just give me a second.“ Rafael eyed the dress and made a scooping motion with his hand. Within seconds, all of the dirt was off with just a tug on his dress. Not only that, but it looked freshly pressed. He looked almost as good as when he put it on. He watched as Rafael did the same thing to himself. However, something was still wrong._ _

__“Aww, my flowers.” He Taako gestured at the now wilted flowers in his hair. He reached to pull them out, but Rafael gently stopped his hand. He took a deep breath in, touched the flowers, and let it out. Taako watched as the flowers began to practically bloom as if they were alive. He continued to marvel after it was done.“You’re a vitality wizard?”_ _

__“Something like that.” He seemed pleased with his work, but there was a new shakiness to his voice._ _

__“Are you alright?”_ _

__“Yeah, it’s just… vitality magic works both ways.” He gave a small smile and leaned against the counter. Taako glanced back at his own reflection, gorgeous once again thanks to him. Now that he studied closer, he thought he might have just done more than fix the dress. His hairdo was tightened, no longer messy, his emerald eyes seemed brighter, his eyelashes were darker and fuller, his lips and cheeks had a healthy pink flush. He seemed almost... more vital, just like the flowers. He turned back to Rafael._ _

__“Is there anything I can do?”_ _

__“No, Taako, it’s alright, thank you though.” He shut his eyes and rubbed his temples. Taako bit the inside of his cheek._ _

__“You said vitality magic works both ways, right?”_ _

__“Taako, unless you’re a vitality wizard yourself, there’s only a couple of ways to aid in this process.”_ _

__“And how would I go about doing that?” He asked, though he had a feeling he knew how._ _

__“I-” Rafael looked embarrassed to even say it. “It’d have to be something physically intimate… something with a natural give and take of energies, but even for a tiny aid like this, you’d have to… kiss me, I think.”_ _

__“I mean, you did all this for me.” He gestured at himself while he stepped forward slowly. He smiled coquettishly. “The least I can do is help.” He was so close to Rafael’s lips when there was a hand on his shoulder._ _

__“No, Taako, stop.” Rafael sighed. Taako felt his heart drop and bile rise. “I- I don’t want you to do this because you think you have to repay me. I think you’re fun, and have a great sense of humor, and you’re beautiful, but don’t kiss me just because I helped you out-”_ _

__“God, is it not enough to kiss a dude because you think they’re cute anymore?” Taako said through gritted teeth. He actively avoided looking into the mirror now, afraid of how red he would be._ _

__“Oh. You- You think I’m-”_ _

__“Yes! I wouldn’t have stepped into what could’ve been my own grave if I didn’t- I don’t even-” Taako didn’t even let himself finish his own sentence before he was pulling Rafael into a kiss._ _

__Since it was technically a magical conduction of some sort, he let himself believe that’s what was causing him to feel sparks everywhere he touched him, because he didn’t wanna feel like a loser while kissing someone. Rafael’s lips were warm against his, even after all the time in the tunnels. Taako immediately felt breathless which he once again attributed to the magic. After only a moment, they parted, though just by a bit. The tension between them was practically suffocating as Taako looked into his dark brown eyes. As they both quickly leaned into their unspoken kiss, the tension snapped like a rubber band. Taako’s hands found Rafael’s waist and as he cupped his face. They adjusted without breaking so that they were as close to each other as possible with all the tulle. When they parted, both breathing a little heavy, Taako felt like the lightheaded feeling was a fair trade off. Neither of them spoke for the longest time since they first met, merely staring into each other’s eyes trying to form words. An announcement beat them to the punch._ _

__“We are in our last thirty minutes of the Annual Spring Moon Allies and Ambassadors Ball.” Queen Istus’s voice boomed from nowhere in particular, causing both of them to jump. “After thirty more minutes of good music, food, and company, please make your way to an exit.” They glanced at each other, the unspoken questions lingering as they straightened themselves out once more. Taako gave Rafael back his jacket, and Rafael dug out Taako’s gloves. However, as he was handed his shoes, Taako considered his options._ _

__“Let’s go dance.” He said finally, still giddy from the kiss. He was a bit confused to see Rafael bite his lip and give it much more thought than he expected._ _

__“Yeah. Let’s go dance.” Rafael repeated, much more quietly. Taako put his shoes back in the pocket dimension and Rafael put his back on. They followed the sound of the music through the castle, weaving their way through staff and royalty alike. Taako smiled at everyone they passed, in too good of a mood to be ruined by uptight passerby. The ballroom was the most packed room he’d seen yet. Mounds of people stood on the edges, looking on, as royalty he easily recognized spun around. It seemed in fact, that only royalty were on the floor._ _

__“Come on. Let’s get in on it.” Taako gestured towards the dancefloor with his head. He knew full well that who danced with who would circulate the kingdom gossip until the next ball, but he secretly hoped that the gossip would aid him in helping him find Rafael again, should things not turn out well at the end of the night. After all, his carriage was scheduled to be here and begin the long journey back only ten minutes after the ball ended. Rafael once again looked hesitant, but Taako didn’t know what he was expecting from someone who’d been content running around the garden and secret tunnels with him. “It’ll be okay.” He rubbed her his and when he looked back at him his worried gaze softened._ _

__“You’re right.” He smiled tightly. “Let’s go.” Once more, Rafael took Taako’s hand and led him in. They joined the outskirts of the floor and begun to dance. He was a lot more practiced than he was expecting, and it wasn’t long before they were incorporating their own moves and spins into the dance. Taako was so busy laughing he didn’t realize the scene around him until it was too late._ _

__Royal couples and betrotheds had started leaving the floor. Those who hadn’t were looking at them and whispering. Almost everybody on the edges of the ballroom were pointing and staring. Taako felt enraged._ _

__“Are they doing all this because they can tell I’m a dude? Or because they think I’m a dude playing dress up? Or because I’m a dude in a dress? This is fucked up on every level!” Taako hissed._ _

__“No... no, Taako...” Rafael said, but Taako was still busy glaring at everyone else. “Taako. Look at me. I have something I need to tell you-“_ _

__“Ladies and gentleman,” The announcer spoke again. Rafael’s eyes widened. “Presenting New Elfington’s Princess Chaalupa Taaco and Phandolin’s very own Prince Kravitz Rafael Celsus!”_ _

__For a moment, Taako thought that maybe everything was reeling around him because Rafael had been spinning him for too long. Then his eyes refocused and it was Kravitz looking back at him._ _

__“You’re the fucking Prince?” He didn’t have to ask, though, because as soon as they’d announced it, everything started coming together. Why he knew about the tunnels, why he knew the guard, why he’d gotten so weird hearing Barold talk about the Prince, why he was so nervous about getting in front of everybody. After that, remembering everything he did himself after made it even worse. Taako followed a dark magic user into secret tunnels, he put his own things, his sister’s things, in a rift made of dark magic, he was altered by dark magic, he kissed and gave vitality to a dark magic user. Someone that had tricked a demon into giving him unspeakable magic Taako probably hadn’t even seen scraps of without doing anything in return. Someone that had tricked him, Taako Taaco, into falling for him by lying about who he was the entire time. Taako Taaco, who hated these events because he had no idea who he could trust, because it was events like these that taught him it was just him and his sister against the world._ _

__And this stupid fucking gala just had to drive the point home._ _

__He was storming out before he could even register the reaction of the people in the room, much less Kravitz._ _

__

__*****_ _

__

__Taako didn’t look at Lup as she climbed into the carriage. He knew when she entered in silence that she knew everything._ _

__“Those are really pretty flowers.” She said finally, as the carriage pulled out._ _

__“Yeah.” He reached up and plucked them out of his hair. He stared down at them, willing himself to crush them, or hold them, or do anything._ _

__“They’re Forget-Me-Nots.”_ _

__“What?” He glanced up at her. She looked amused._ _

__“They’re Forget-Me-Nots.” She repeated. “And you know what? I was right. I really do wanna meet this dude.”_ _

__Taako gently stroked one of the small petals. It broke off in his hand and wilted before his eyes._ _

**Author's Note:**

> Warning for ambiguous ending!
> 
> Please leave kudos/comment if you enjoy, it means a lot!


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